XCode & Python Hints

Here are a few hints about how I set up XCode for Python development.

Run your program from XCode

Some versions of PyObjC have a bug so when you make new projects, XCode doesn’t know how to run them. Make a new custom executable & point it build/Development/myProgram.app.

No, don’t quit!

Having the keyboard shortcut to quit XCode be the same shortcut as quitting your application (cmd-Q) is a recipe for annoyance when you accidently hit it twice. Instead, go into XCode’s preferences and change the key binding to quit XCode to something like cmd-option-Q.

Faster builds

You can shave a second or two off the build-test-fix cycle if you set up a dummy “No Build” target. The Development build target will run every time but behind the scenes it isn’t copying files, it is just making aliases (py2app’s –alias option). Set up a new shell script target which runs /usr/bin/true and you can save the effort.

You have no debugger, but at least use PDB

If you set the USE_PDB environment variable, PyObjC will dump you at a PDB prompt when there is an unhandled exception. You can set this on the “Arguments” tab of the custom executable.